Medical Practices
There are two distinct''' medical practices '''that Maesians may choose from when dealing with illness and injury. First and foremost, The Six Guilds of Magic have a Guild branch specifically devoted to White Magic, the study of healing and/or protection magic. Healers (who may or may not be guildmages) rely on magical healing to do their work. For more serious or immediate care, there are also doctors, who take advantage of the more advanced and practical medical research and technology originating from the coboros. Doctors are often shied away from due to the methods required for obtaining their medical information, yet however frowned upon the acquision of their knowledge is, there is no denying that coboros technology is the way to go when healers are unable to assist. __TOC__ Magic-Enchanced Healing Main article(s): The Six Guilds/Healers The primary form of assistance for the ill and wounded of Maesia is via the knowledge of healers. There are two types of healers - those using practical methods such as salves and poultices, and those using healing magic. Practical healers tend to be self-taught, or have their knowledge passed down to them through family tradition, while mages are trained under the Guild of Aegis to better harness their natural abilities. It is also not uncommon for mages to have practical knowledge, as their training under the Guild often requires them to have at least a basic understanding of the biology of common races. Though less common, there are some practical-knowledge healers who have minor skill in white magic (though not enough to merit being called mages of any sort), and will use such abilties to augment their existing treatment techniques. Coboros Medical Knowledge Main article(s): Coboros/Doctors The coboros are a scientifically-advanced Elder race, with an underground bunker-like civilization established shortly before the Elder Wars began. Due to their own unique theories on the ancient race of the aurel, the coboros are focused on physical perfection through cybernetic "enhancements". The testing for such enhancements is never done on other coboros, but instead on various "test subjects" pulled from the surface. Since the subjects widely vary in race, the coboros must have a very intimate understanding of the biology of each race to ensure the success of new enhancements. This means, in short, that both their technology and their knowledge of medical practices is the most advanced and unparallelled on the face of Maesia. However, their knowledge does not come without a price, as they are completely opposed to doing anything for other races out of charity. Therefore many countries name dignitaries to the coboros, who are sent to request aid if standand healing practices cannot assist. These dignitaries often go to the coboros bearing peace offerings of new specimens for their testing, selected from a wide variety of races and lifestyles so the coboros can be sufficiently tempted by the offer. It is rare that situations become dire enough to require the aid of the coboros. A small handful of plagues have run rampant across the surface, and occaisionally the critical wounds or diseases of individuals of great importance (or wealth) spurns the dignitaries to such drastic measures.